China flew its remotely piloted drones in the Yangtse area near Tawang, just before the clash. As reported, Chinese drones loitered towards the Indian positions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh.
IAF has an alert situation along the LAC when it finds suspicious enough to scramble its aircraft in a response to such aggression from across the border. Sources tell us that the Indian Air Force (IAF) did send its Su-30MKI as it fits as the interceptor. In fact, that is part of standard procedures. The IAF has an Infra-Red Search and Track System (IRST) for its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fleet.
The Indian Army has also deployed Israeli-made Heron drones which were carrying out round-the-clock surveillance with real-time images. The Heron drones are much more capable and can also operate for several hours at an altitude of up to 30,000ft.
Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh remarked in the Parliament: “Indian Troops stopped Chinese troops from entering our territory on December 9. Rajnath Singh said: “No Indian lives have been lost and no serious Injuries in the India-China clash.”
He also informed the Parliament that the government had spoken to China through diplomatic channels soon after the border clash.
He said the Army had repulsed an attempt by the Chinese forces to unilaterally change the status quo in Arunachal Pradesh by transgressing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Tawang last week.
On December 9, Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian army said, “it caused “minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides.” The clash happened near Yangtse along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh.
Army said: “Both sides immediately disengaged from the area.” But the statement does not clarify the number of troops in the stand-off. It is speculated that the number of soldiers make about 200 in the clash.
Ahead of the meeting, the defence minister met the Prime Minister and cabinet colleagues to fine-tune the centre’s response in Parliament.
The country’s military and diplomatic leadership will again meet today to discuss the next step after the December 9 border clash. The latest clash is seen in the backdrop of the Galwan-standoff as China continues to push its unilateral move across LAC from the northern zone to the north-eastern part of India.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be meeting the three service chiefs — Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari today.
Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan, will also attend the meeting. As per the information, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra and defence secretary Giridhar Aramane will also be present in the meeting.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also made the remarks outside parliament that that Chinese soldiers didn’t cede an inch of land during the face-off with Indian troops in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.